Look for more graphic prints like this one seen at the Maison Margiela SS2015 show on Vogue’s Virginia Smith. John Galliano debuted as Maison Margiela’s new head designer with a couture collection today that has received very positive reviews.

And…. we’re off! The first full day of New York Fashion Week always has that first day of school feel to it. It’s good to see some familiar faces, like the ever-chic Virginia Smith of Vogue, who attended this morning’s BCBG Max Azria show dressed in black and white. Loved the monochromatic palette as transitional wear into fall and the animal print pants.

Amid all the fantastical outfits of Paris fashion week, it’s the classic work attire that provides the most useful inspiration. Virginia Smith wore an off-white silk button down and tailored trousers to the Lanvin show. The accessories – python print clutch and polished brown leather boots – are what makes it fashion.

This much-anticipated show was the first after Alexander McQueen’s tragic death last spring, with his friend and colleague Sarah Burton taking the reins. The show seemed to provoke a bittersweet reaction in some of the guests – you can see strains of the old McQueen in Burton’s designs, since she had been his collaborator for so long. The dark, Gothic sensibility is still there – particularly in this season’s ravishing Alexander McQueen boots designed by Burton – but the spring designs were deftly turned out by Burton’s lighter hand, giving McQueen fans hope for the future of the line.

Chloe’s autumn/winter 2010 collection has already proved highly influential this fall with its wide-legged trousers and camel coats, so the spring/summer 2011 show was a must-see for many. The distinctive colors of Chloe’s fall line were on display on the guests in the Tuileries.

A huge amount of buzz surrounded Saturday’s show by Alexander Wang, the fashion darling who’s built a multimillion-dollar clothing and accessories empire by the age of 25. A crowd of key fashion players came to the show, though the collection itself was disappointing compared to Wang’s previous seasons. The fabulous clothes on all the guests, however, were inspiration enough.

It was high-octane glamour outside the Calvin Klein show at their showroom off Seventh Avenue on Thursday. A celebrity contingent including Eva Mendes, Molly Sims, Miranda Kerr, Rose Byrne and Kerry Washington arrived to take in the show. And the rest of the attendees didn’t look too shabby, either.

Miranda Kerr in a beige Calvin Klein number that showed off the Victoria’s Secret Angel’s assets. (more…)

We got a special look at the Diane von Furstenberg Spring 2010 front row, which was packed not just with the usual fashion crowd but with DVF pals and luminaries like Graydon Carter, propietor of the crazy-hot Monkey Bar and the Waverly Inn. When Carter and his friend Fran Lebowitz were asked if they could be photographed together, Lebowitz quipped, “Oh good. I’ll look young.”

They both have great taste in blazers.

Tons of celebs and fashion faves – Michelle Tractenberg, Peaches Geldof, Carine Roitfeld and more after the jump. (more…)

When the fashion world brings a Hollywood date to an awards ceremony, the glamour quotient is extreme. This was black tie dressing at its best and most tricky, since the skies alternately threatened rain or just plain mugginess. But both the male and female guests pulled it off with aplomb, playing with hemlines (of both trousers and dresses) and reinterpreting what “black tie” means for 2009.

The “muse” theme of this year’s CFDA Awards (Council of Fashion Designers of America) encouraged designers to bring someone who inspires them as a date. You could almost imagine them designing clothes with a specific beautiful woman in mind.

It also meant that the women were accompanied by designers for this fashion event, not their husbands/significant others, who stayed at home. Everybody wins! (more…)

A designer who dresses everyone from first ladies to megawatt stars, Oscar de la Renta draws a who’s-who list from fashion, New York society, and Hollywood to his shows on Park Avenue. The expensive suit that landed Cindy McCain in so much hot water with the press was Oscar de la Renta.

Anna Wintour in a beautiful white coat. Underneath she cinched her silk dress with a leather belt.Funky glasses.Here’s what black lipstick looks like off the runway–rather odd. If you took off the headscarf, this might be a good look. The gray dress on her friend is quite chic.Conservative chic.Black and white with a purple handbag.Lee Radziwill in a white suit.Sarah Rutson in slouchy harem pants and lots of necklaces.Jamee Gregory proves that conservative does not have to equal boring. Love the Roger Vivier shoes.Linda Wells looking very young and sophisticated in a LBD.Winter florals in purple.Meredith Melling Burke in a gorgeous black floral dress.Virginia Smith, also of Vogue, accessorizing with an Obama pin on her handbag.Rachel Zoe and sidekick. She actually looked really good in real life–perfectly put together. Now if only we didn’t know what was going on in that head of hers.Fashion has changed with the climate–there were many more white cotton dresses in September. Call it winter white right now.Nina Garcia obviously knows how to pick out a dress, but sometimes we think she needs a stylist. Looking at this photo, don’t you want to put her hair up? Unless you emphasize a long neck, puffy sleeves can create the football player effect.There was a rumor about Jennifer Lopez that she uses Creme de la Mer as body moisturizer. Seen up close, her skin gives some credence that rumor–gorgeous!

In transitional months like May and September, when you don’t know what to wear, a good bet is black and white. That seemed to be the thinking this weekend as dozens of show goers dressed in absolutes. One of the biggest developments was winter white, right now–though they’re usually packed away after Labor Day, white dresses were making an appearance in September.

A study in contrasts–the white says spring/summer while the black tights signal winter.A bow blouse and flouncy skirt.She is always a presence at Fashion Week and is never one to shy away from outrageous hats. Before the show, she had to describe to a friend on her cell phone what she was wearing (“hot pink, red, and green!”) because the friend couldn’t identify her in the crowd. Hilarious.Winter white right now.A gorgeous statement necklace.Admiring Kate Lanphear’s blouse. From far away, it looked like winter florals, but it was actually an abstract polka dot pattern–in black and white. Also note that while she rocked the gladiator sandals last Fashion Week, Lanphear has put them away in favor of tough-looking open-toe booties. And of course platforms are par for the course.This outfit, also captured by the Sartorialist, is not just insanely stylish but also quite comfortable-looking on Sarah Rutson, fashion director of Hong Kong’s Lane Crawford. Yes, even the bondage-insprired animal-print stilettos, which are second nature to a fashionista.Tough chic.Claiborne Swanson and Virginia Smith of Vogue. Swanson is wearing the boyfriend blazer that will be everywhere next spring; Smith wins for shoes, which also caught Bill Cunningham‘s eye.Gorgeous green and white wide-legged pants.Celebrating the outrageous.

Love her black-and-white bow-neck blouse.

Robert Burke, fashion consultant extraordinaire, in his usual dapper blazer.Katrina Szish in the most dramatic bow blouse of the day.

It wouldn’t be Fashion Week without this guy. He selects the fabric for his suits himself and commissions them, and for the past year or so he’s had cute sidekicks. Today’s fabric of choice? Black and white.

Andre Leon Talley was seated front row at the Tracy Reese show, which started with a number of playing-it-safe muted solids before developing into her usual festive prints–phew. If even Tracy Reese had gone the conservative route, this would have been a sad Fashion Week indeed. This season Reese’s colorful patterns became more abstract, perhaps the product of new high-tech printing processes.

A winner of a trench coat in raw silk.This Asian-inspired open-cut tulip skirt was a continuing motif in the collection.

An abstract print.The jury’s still out on harem pants for spring, but when you see looks like these, it gives you more confidence in the trend. This outfit is both chic and infinitely wearable.

An elegant open tulip cut cocktail dress in a mustardy chartreuse for spring.